Jahr Unseres Gründers c.854

Fort Slava, Vatanlar Peninsula

"To think it's take three years to squash this alliance… We've fallen far, haven't we?"

Those thoughts, spoken aloud by one Theo Magath, while disappointing, seemed to be leaning on the truth. Half a century ago, no nation in the world would even think of challenging the full might of Maerly's empire, in no small way due to the Titan Powers that they had acquired during the Great Titan War.

Now, though?

Now it had become increasingly clear to the nations of the world that technology was advancing and improving, even to the point of surpassing the powers that Marley boasted- The few Anti-Titan artillery that the Mid-East Alliance had produced had caught their forces off-guard in the Battle of Gökhan and had won them the day, despite the presence of both the Female and Armored Titans. No matter how brief that victory was (and it was brief indeed- they had launched a counterattack within twenty-four hours of the initial fallback and had destroyed the artillery encampment), a message had been sent out into the international community proclaiming; "Behold! Even the Great Titans can be brought low!" to all the nations of the Earth.

The response was almost immediate and disastrous for Marley; while no new nations entered the war on either the side of Marley and her allies, or the nations of the Mid-East Alliance, public sentiment, which had never been in Marley's favor (due to their aggressive expansion policy, something that Magath was no admirer of) now flowed completely in the favor of the Mid-East Alliance, so much so that the colonies in the Meiriceás were starting to see unrest due to remnants of the defeated armies rallying support.

That had been just a year ago, and the Premier had ordered the military to end the current conflict as quickly as possible, so what else was there to do but do as commanded? He was right, in any case; the wrapping up of this war was and still is crucial to Marley's stability.

To think we're fighting this war because of those Island Devils…

He hated to think about it, but it was the truth regardless. Three years ago, Marley had announced to the world their intended mission to Paradis Island to retrieve the Founding Titan and render an Eldian attack obsolete, though that was just a pretext for invading the Island for its resources. Upon releasing that statement, there were some nations who cheered and encouraged them for it, but others were horrified, having no wish to seemingly provoke the last bastion of Eldia into carrying through with the 145th Fritz King's threat. The nations of the Mid-East Alliance were amongst the most vocal against this, and threatened war should Marley continue with preparations for the internationally dubbed 'Paradis Island Operation.'

The threat was met with laughter in many circles of the government- it had been decades since an empire, alliance, or nation had actually declared war on Marley and went on the offensive successfully. Marley was unbeatable, after all. The largest world power, and the holder of seven of the Nine Titans.

Of course, High Command hadn't realized at the time that the Titan Powers did not apply to naval warfare.

That was a lesson they had learned nearly too late after the Allies had smashed their fleet off the coast of Marley's possessions in Vatanlar and began their land campaign. While they gradually lost the ground they had made in the beginning of the war, they continued to win every battle fought on the water until the navy finally managed to cornor them due to dumb luck and destroy the main bulk of the enemy ships with their superior firepower (not due to Marley's naval technology, which was lacking in many areas, but due to the fact that Marley simply had more ships than the Allied did). Only then did the war effort start to change in their favor, and it had all led to here.

Fort Slava. The last main stronghold of the Mid-East Alliance, currently housing nearly all their leadership. There were, of course, other strongholds elsewhere in the rest of the Mid-East, but they were of no true concern- all of the Alliance's remaining naval might was docked in the harbor beneath Slava, which made it a crucial target in capturing, and the last one needed to end the war.

As it was, the battle was going well. The Warrior Unit that Magath commanded had arrived to reinforce the trenches two days ago, and had helped set up artillery pieces and had led several charges up the hill in an attempt to advance and to deter the Allies from sallying forth. Though they hadn't made much headway since, that was soon to change.

The Para-Warrior Airborne Division should be arriving today. With Zeke and his Titans, not to mention Vice-Kommandant Braun, we'll rain destruction from above. If we force the Allies back with the Jaw and Cart Titans, they'll be forced into a killing ground.

If it wasn't for that damned train…

The armored train, outfitted with both modern artillery pieces as well as the Mid-East's anti-Titan artillery steamed around the fort in such a way that Marley's forces had been forced to hold at a specific point, not to mention that they couldn't deploy their Titans due to the risk of losing them to enemy shelling.

So long as that train was there, Fort Slava would stand, and that could not be allowed.

Nearby, a group of Eldians were wiped out by a shell that ame screaming at them, and Magath winced, before growling lowly in annoyance. "Gott-damned Easterners-"

"Kommandant Magath!"

Theo was halfway to pulling his sidearm out of its holster before he realized that he wasn't being set upon by a surprise attack, and was only being called out by one of the Eldians under his command. Turning to the arriving Eldian, Magath raised an eyebrow. "Kriegerin Grice, what word from the front?"

Colt Grice opened his mouth to respond, only for the whistle of another shell to silence his words, and he flinched, grimaced, then continued. "Sir, digging another trench closer to the fort is impossible with the fire we're taking, almost half my unit was wiped out!"

"Do you have enough men to try take the pillbox just ahead, and detonate the tracks with munitions?"

"No, Kommandant. We would be gunned down before even getting close. And even if we got close enough, the train's artillery would wipe us out. If we don't move, we may well still be!"

Magath frowned at that; Colt was one of the brightest men under his command, one that, if he were not an Eldian, Magath would wave no problem promoting to a higher rank. If he thought that the Kriegerin Einheit would be wiped out if the recall wasn't sounded, then that was likely their fate. "Damn. Do you have any ideas on how to bypass those problems?" Magath asked.

Colt had to think on that for a moment, but nodded. "Send out the Titans, sir. They can overwhelm the pillbox and upturn the train."

Ah, if only he was of Marley's blood, Magath lamented, but shook his head. "It's a good idea, Kriegerin, but I'm not willing to risk our remaining Titans lost to that artillery, especially with the Female Titan out of commission and the Colossal stationed overseas to garrison our holdings in the Meiriceás." He turned back towards the fort, and the tracks in the distance, before gritting his teeth in frustration. "We have no choice. Prepare the soldiers for a general advance."

"B-but, Kommandant Magath-!" Colt started, but Magath quickly cut him off. "Chin up, soldier. Is this the kind of attitude that someone worthy of the Beast Titan should express?" The commander paused for a moment, before continuing. "I know the casualties we'll take will be horrendous, but we need to destroy that rail."

"Sir, let me do it. I'll destroy that rail."

Both men blinked as a new voice entered the conversation, and turned to look at the Eldian girl standing before them, steel in her eyes.

Magath, frowning, questioned the warrior. "And how do you intend to do that, Kriegerin Braun?"

Gabi Braun hesitated for a moment, before responding. "It will only work if I take off my uniform. Permission to remove my armband, Kommandant?"

The Kriegerin Einheit commander thought on it for a moment. Gabi was one of the brightest warriors, set to inherit the Armored Titan from her cousin when his allotted time was up. On one hand, he would hate to lose her to enemy fire, but on the other hand, one life was better than a thousand.

Theo Magath nodded. "Permission granted. Best of luck, warrior."

"Sir."

With that, the girl scampered away, and Magath hid another sigh. Colt, on the other hand, had an inquisitive expression on his face. "The use of plainclothes soldiers on the battlefield is a violation of International Law, isn't it?"

The commander shrugged. "Only if someone survives to report it."

Colt thought on that, then shrugged, content to watch Gabi follow through with her plan, which, miraculously, actually worked. The derailed train crashed to a halt below a second line of Allied trenches, and the warrior grinned alongside his commander.

Then his face morphed into horror as his youngest brother, Falco Grice, flung himself out of the trench and ran after her.

"FALCO! Gottverdammt, brother-" Colt made to follow them into the warzone, going all the way as to actually fix his bayonet and climb the trench walls, and only faltered when Magath pulled him back with a steady hand. "Calm down, they'll be alright, Grice." The Kommandant pointed towards the pillbox, unconcerned. "The artillery has been silenced. The Titans are in play now. "

And indeed they were; as soon as the Marleyan lines had seen the fall of the train, the Jaws Titan leapt up from a nearby trench system and shielded both exposed warriors from the enemy pillbox's machine fire, before crushing it beneath his fists. Out of the corner of his eye, Magath could see the Cart Titan emerge from another trench, her Panzer Unit already blazing a path forwards, and the Kommandant knew that now was the time.

Turning away from the scene, he turned to one of his Marleyan underlings. "Major Koslow, radio the Airborne Unit, tell them they have the green light to engage!"

"Yes, sir!"

Then he turned to Colt, a grin on his face. "It's time to end this war, Grice. Call a general advance!"

"Yes, Kommandant!" Colt saluted with a similar grin etched on his face.

One way or another, this war will end today.

The advance was called, and with a thunderous warcry, the soldiers of Marley stormed up the hill.

Go for the guns, Reiner.

That was his goal, and the holder of the Armored Titan thought he was doing it rather well, really.

The operation had been halted at first, due to the presence of the armored train, but with it's derailment, nothing was stopping the Airborne Unit from raining death from above, and that is exactly what they did.

Reiner was the second-last to deploy, only leaving the airship after his Kriegshäuptling had begun the first phase of the aerial assault with a bombardment of falling Titans, damaging much of Fort Slava's defenses and spreading terror in their ranks. Despite the century that had passed since the Fall of Eldia, Titans were still feared across the world, especially by the nations of the Mid-East Alliance.

Ironic, really. The very reason they went to war against us is going to play in their defeat.

Reiner was feeling good about this. After a four year-long campaign, he could finally go home and rest, recuperate, and train for the Paradis Island Operation. They would retrieve the Coordinate, destroy the Wall Titans, eradicate the Island Devils, and save the world-

Those thoughts temporarily fled the Armored Titan's mind as an anti-Titan shell grazed his arm.

Damn cannons!

Letting out a roar, he ran headfirst into the wall holding the artillery, smashing it to pieces, only to notice another one he had missed aiming point blank at him.

GOTTVERDAMMT-

Before he could even think of futility raising his arms in defense, Marcel, having finished dealing with the enemies outside Fort Slava's walls came to his rescue, smashing the artillery emplacement beneath hs fist. Nodding his thanks, Reiner turned to set himself upon the rest, and together, the Armored and Jaw Titans brought Fort Slava to heel.

With that done, it was simply a matter of signaling to the Kriegshäuptling that it was time to descend, and Reiner did so with a roar.

Several moments later, the Kriegshäuptling appeared with a flash of lightning just outside Fort Slava, facing the ocean, and waved back at him.

"Excellent work, Reiner, Marcel. Now, leave the rest to me."

With that, the Beast Titan grabbed at the earth, scooping up unused shells, rubble, and stones, before turning back to the ocean, and shifting into his pitching stance. He prepared, took aim, and-

The moment he let loose his barrage, thunderous booms echoed across the water below, and Reiner realized almost too late what it signified.

Scheiße! Those were naval turrets!

Before he knew it, the Armored Titan was moving to intercept the oncoming salvo.

He must have succeeded, because the last thing he remembered feeling before falling into darkness was the feeling of a thousand colossal punches smashing themselves against his armored being, the utter pain those punches wrought, and the shocked face of his Kriegshäuptling.

Then Reiner felt nothing, slipping into the blissful quiet of unconsciousness.

WAR IN THE EAST OVER; MARLEY EMERGES VICTORIOUS!

Even without looking at the headline of every major international newspaper worth its ink, one could easily tell that Ali-Riza Muhhidin was not a happy man, and that was to be expected.

After all, who would be happy with themselves when your nation and the allies it boasted had just lost the largest war in two decades, let alone a war fought against a hated enemy?

To think they had been fighting this war for the good of the world to save it from Marley's hubris, ha! If Ali had known how this war was going to end, he would have let the Paradisians destroy them all- at least that way, Marley would at last be on the receiving end of the Powers they used with such hypocrisy since the Great Titan War.

But, alas, that option had long passed. Fort Slava had fallen, and their main fleet destroyed. The Mid-East Alliance could rebuild, that Ali knew very well (even now, in distant shipyards further east, inland, or in sympathetic nations, new ships were being constructed and green recruits being trained) but such an endeavour would require time, and the Grand Vizier of the Osmanlı Empire knew that time was something the Mid-East Alliance no longer had. Marley had won, and no doubt the nations bordering them would be forced to concede land or be outright annexed entirely, and that alone would cripple the Alliance's chance of rebuilding their war machine.

That is, of course, if the Mid-East Alliance managed to survive the coming weeks.

The Grand Vizier let out a bitter sigh at his nation's fortune, before reluctantly refocusing on the documents before him. As they had lost, it would be they that would receive harsh demands, not the other way around, and so, here he was to sign them, alongside the other leaders of the Mid-East Alliance.

And that was what he was doing until his aide hastily entered the room with two telegrams in his hand, before passing them over to Ali in a rush.

Ali-Riza Muhhidin read the first one, then the next, and did nothing for several, digesting the information that had just been handed to him, his mind racing furiously at the new revelations delivered to his hand.

Then the Grand Vizier chuckled.

"Oh, how the tables have turned."

Setting the papers on the table, atop the document he was in no rush to sign, Ali turned to his fellow leaders, who had perked up at the aide's entrance. "Gentlemen, the game has changed. The war is not over. The fighting will continue."

His voice broke the somber mood in the room, and Imraa al-Besha, Sultan of the Kingdom of Diaj Abul and longtime friend of his, looked to the Grand Vizier in surprise. "How so, Ali? Our men are demoralized, our people weary, our fleets smashed. Malik is being annexed as we speak! We are in no position to fight any war!"

"You are correct, my friend," Ali acquiesced with a grin, "But, note, I did not say it was we who will be fighting." Then he handed the messages over to his fellow leaders, and watched with a smirk as their eyes widened.

"Oh," al-Besha uttered. Then he snorted, and laughed, followed by the other leaders as the telegrams were passed around. "Well, at least we know our efforts weren't in vain. We may have lost the war, but at least we were right!"

The room was silent for a moment more before once again bursting into laughter.

After all, what better way to celebrate your nation's defeat than finding out that the ancient enemy of your enemy had resurfaced in force?

Oh, how the tables had turned indeed.

Despite the victory Marley had obtained, and the official end of the War in the East, the mood inside the room was anything but celebratory.

The officers of Marley sat in foreboding silence within the ruins of the harbor city below Fort Slava, watching as the Oberbefehlshaber stared at the newspaper in his hands with fury in his eyes before at last, Calvi Freisler threw the paper onto the the table before them in anger.

"In the four years of this War in the East, time and time again we've experienced setbacks, mostly at sea. By Gott, it's only thanks to a mistake that we caught their fleet off guard!" Oberbefehlshaber Calvi's glare shifted to the Hochadmiral, who stared back defiantly, the fool. Nonetheless, the Supreme Commander continued. "Yes, we've managed to destroy the last remnant of their Grand Fleet, but at the cost of the world's perception of Marleyan invincibility."

Picking up the international newspaper, the Oberbefehlshaber read its subheading out loud, to the discomfort of everyone in the room. "'Human intellect finally vanquished the Armored Titan of Marley.' Every other country worth any influence on a global scale is reprinting this, and crediting the felling of the Armored Titan to the gottdamned Easterners!"

Slamming the paper down again, Calvi let out a sigh, before resuming his gaze. "We may have won this war physically, but it is the Allies who have psychologically. The armor that has shielded Marley is broken." Turning, he faced the commander of the Kriegerin Einheit with a grimace in this face. "What do you make of this, Kommandat Magath? What do you feel must be done?"

Calvi knew Magath, and recognized him as one of the exceptional men under his command, and the Oberbefehlshaber had every intention of naming Theo as his candidate for the position he currently held. Calvi also knew that Magath would not shy away from the tough questions, and that attitude was something that Marley very much needed at the moment.

Said commander grimaced also as he thought on what to say, and when he had found his words, Theo answered.

"Oberbefehlshaber… I believe the time has finally come. This is the era where mankind will overcome the power of the Titans."

The air in the room grew somber as Magath continued his examination of the current state of the world, and every man of the Oberkommando leaned in as to not miss anything, only for the Hochadmiral to rear back in anger as the Kommandant focused on him.

"The second largest theater of this conflict took place on the sea, where our Titans could not be effectively utilized, if they could be used at all, that it. To compare the strengths of our navy and the Mid-East's would be like comparing a horse to a panzer."

Hochadmiral Christoff Straus stood up in anger at the perceived slight. "Are you claiming that the navy is responsible for Marley's loss in prestige? You would blame me for our shortcomings?!" he growled in anger, but Theo only shrugged.

"Not all of them, no."

"Why, you-!"

"Enough," Calvi sighed, before turning back to the Kommandant. "Continue, Magath."

The Kommandant nodded his thanks to the general before continuing. "The fact is boil down to this; the Titan Powers in our possession are becoming obsolete. That is the crisis we find ourselves in. In our aggressive expansion policy, we've made enemies of every bordering nation, both here and abroad by our overseas territories. While our record of victorious engagements fought on land remains true, what is also true is that we as a nation focused on using the Titans in our possession to conquer and expand since the Fall of the Eldian Empire, whereas countries who would seek to oppose us have been funneling funds into military technology and development for almost as long, and the anti-Titan artillery proves this."

Then Magath turned his head to the sky, a contemplative look on his face. "But, one day, when aircraft technology develops to its peak, we will be able to rain bombs from hundreds of meters away. One that day, it is the sky that will become the battlefield, and our Titans will only be able to watch as the heavens move."

There was an oddly peaceful moment of silence as the officers of the Oberkommando turned to look at the sky, pondering on just what the future held.

It was only when the Zeke Jaeger spoke up that that the men returned their gazes from the possible future and brought them back tot he present. "If what Kommandant Magath says is true, and I do believe it is, then it is paramount that we enact the Paradis Island Operation as soon as possible. While regular Titans, and even our Shifters may be approaching obsoletion, the Founding Titan never will. If we are to maintain our hegemony on the world, we must retrieve the Coordinate from the Island Devils. That is why the Mid-East Alliance went to war against us, right?"

The Kriegshäuptling's suggestion was met with nods and murmurs from the other men in the room, and Calvi nodded. "Yes, that would be prudent to do indeed, 'Miracle Child.' The sooner we do that, the better. How soon do you think your Warriors can depart for the Island?"

"Maybe two months of recuperation, Oberbefehlshaber. Then we can begin. We need not that many supplies, only a single ship and enough supplies for the chosen Warriors to reach the Walls without issue," the Warchief responded.

"Zeke speaks truly, Oberbefehlshaber," Magath agreed. "As soon as we-"

The Kommandant was suddenly cut off by the muffled sound of laughter coming from another room, the same one the leaders of the Mid-East Alliance were currently quartered in signing the official ceasefire documents and post-war terms. Laughter? What do the Easterners have to laugh about? They just lost, for Helos' sake!

The officers of Marley shared confused looks, only to swivel their heads towards the door as it burst open, and a wide-eyed telegraph operator entered, several messages in her hand. "Oberbefehlshaber! Urgent messages from the motherland, sir!"

Standing up, Calvi quickly took the messages before nodding to the woman to leave, and began to read them silently, and as he did so, he paled. Then, at last, he folded the telegrams and sat down again, shaking, and he relayed the news brought to him. "Gentlemen… the conflict is not over. At three-o'clock in the afternoon, the Empire of Hizuru officially declared war, before closing up their embassy in Osternau."

Magath's eyes raised in shock, and Colt, so surprised at the recent developments, spoke up for the first time. "Hizuru, sir?! They can't possibly extend their military all the way over here, the Manchurese would attack them the instant their fleet left the Home Islands!"

Giving the Eldian a surprised but approving look, Calvi nodded. "And yet, declared war the Emperor has, not only on us, but on Mǎnzhōu as well." The last part wasn in no way surprising- even before the Fall of the Eldian Empire, the Manchurese and the Hizurese had held a hatred for each other which was only enflamed when Mǎnzhōu seized several islands from the fellow Oriental nation and slaughtered the members of the Shogunate's ruling clan, and war had been certain since.

It was the next bit of news that truly shocked them.

"An hour before that, the Oberkommando headquarters back in the capitol received another telegram from an unknown source." Here, Calvi paused, and his hands shook slightly. Opening his mouth, he closed it soon after and simply deigned to hand out the last telegraph, and as the members of the Oberkommando read it, they too paled.

Her Majesty's Royal Government informed the Marleyan Government in the Year of Our Founder c.743 that, if any act of war was committed against the remnants of Eldia, the tens of millions of Titans within the Walls would be unleashed upon the world to flatten the entire earth. Due to the fact that the 145th Fritz King was stripped of his titles and forcefully revoked of his titan soon after this last correspondence, the threat of a Rumbling is no longer valid. No flattening shall take place.

However, as you have, for the past century, disregarded this warning given in fairness and trust, Her Majesty's Royal Government has, in accordance with International Law, formally notified the Marleyan Government that a state of war now exists between the the Kingdom of Paradis and the Nation of Marley, as of 1 p.m today.

Office of Foreign Imperial Interests, Kingdom of Paradis

Year of Our Founder c.854

A deathly silence permeated over the room, before Major Koslow broke into a worried chuckle. "Surely this is some kind of joke, yes? The Island Devils shouldn't even have the technology to send such a message!"

Magath glared at the sheet of paper, and grit out an answer. "...I don't think this is a joke, Major. No one would be foolish enough to do this, let alone for a prank."

Calvi opened his mouth to interject-

-only to be interrupted as the same telegram officer from before burst into the room with yet another message, looking terrified, and Calvi groaned.

"Good Gott, woman, what now?!" he cried out, and the woman paused in fright for a moment, before letting out her news at once, and all who heard it, especially the two Eldians in the room, paled.

It was a message that heralded the end of days.

"It's Liberio, sir! Liberio is under attack!"